Green subway tile? Especially vintage looking?

ideagirl2August 11, 2011

Hello,

As the title says, we're looking for green subway tile that has a vintage feel. Here's an inspiration picture to give you the gist. It's not a real kitchen, and it's not the exact layout we're planning; it's a photo I found and then photoshopped like crazy to get an idea of how our kitchen might feel:

So that's kind of what we're going for. We want a medium green, not too pastel or too dark, and with little if any grey or brown in it. So not muddy, not pastel, not emerald... and not a cool tone, because we're going for a warm feel. I've found surprisingly little green subway tile online, and almost all of it is glass--we prefer ceramic/porcelain, but would go with glass if we couldn't find the right color in those materials.

Walker Zanger Gramercy Park comes in a gorgeous medium dark green in a 2x6 subway. I think it's called Victorian Green. There was a kitchen posted here a while back that used it but I can't remember whose it was.

I used the Walker Zanger Gramercy Park in Victorian Green in our kitchen refresh. It may be a little darker than you had in mind, but I think it gives a wonderful period feel. It is the exact shade I was searching for since I didn't want a pastel green.

If anyone is curious, I used Laticrete Mushroom for the grout and it is the perfect grout for this tile and this type of granite.

I second the Pewabic recommendation (and if they don't have one in stock you like, they do custom work). Another good Michiganian company that does lovely work is Motawi. Their handmade tiles are pretty vintagey too. And they have greens.

This has always been one of my favorites. Not a vintage kitchen in the strictest sense, but gorgeous! Jaymie, hope you don't mind me sharing. I think the link below is where she got the tile, and I believe she designed the accent tiles herself.

Thank you all! OMG Marcolo, I cannot STAND how cool those Mission Tile West retro liners are. I just emailed to see if I can get some samples of their green subways. And Joyce, you're right about that kitchen--here it is right on their galleries page: http://www.artisticabodetile.com/installs.html
I've emailed Artistic Abode and Walter Zanger about getting samples of several green samples from them too. And ordered Green Thumb and Green Tea from Mosaic Tile. So we shall see.

I wonder what I'll do with the dozen or so different shades of green subway tile samples I'll have laying around after this...

ZacsDaddy, are those Grazia Listelli tiles really 2.5" x 10"? Somehow they don't look it to my eye, but that's what it says is available at the website I found (link below). Did you find them in a more subway-ish size or do my eyes deceive me?

Very pretty cabinets, BTW. What wood are they made of?

Marcolo, I now feel that life is more fair since you told me what link that photo came from. You have mad skillz when it comes to img src.

They really are ... the longer length is definitely a modern touch on the subway tile, but doesn't seem out of place to me. In fact, I like the longer, sleekler look as it seems to stretch out the kitchen as well. We tempered the modern by adding the black liner.

The cabinets are all walnut with a clear coat. I love them. I still haven't gotten around to posting our kitchen in the finished kitchen blog -- I want to "stage" it and take some nice glamour shots still. But here's a link to the original post of the completed if you want to see more tile shots.

One note about the Grazia Listelli: I've seen a lot of people and tile shops using the tile in bathrooms. Don't worry -- it really fits a vintage kitchen as well! (We bought the tiles via a local tile store, but we found it online easily as well.)

We're doing a green glass subway. This is Solistone Mardi Gras in Carrollton. If you look closely, you'll see little lines running through them, which give them a little variance in color from a distance. I just got my sample in the mail. I LOVE it!

The Mission Tile West deco tiles can be ordered in your own color combos. I played around photoshopping for endless hours and ended up with cheaper less thrilling tile elsewhere. Our feature will be awesome, but we won't have their wonderful liners or field tile... sigh...
When we do our family bathroom, there is no doubt we are going the deco route....

I've ordered Mission Tile subway samples in various shades of green. And some of the liners, of course. But Marcolo, they haven't arrived yet, so I cannot guarantee that the subways (as opposed to the liners) will be Mission Tile. It is ALL ABOUT the shade of green.

I have decided to give you a little leeway on sourcing the field tile, so you can find the right Depression Green. And speaking for all of us who work in financial-related industries, I hope you appreciate the effort we have gone to in order to provide you with an actual Depression in which you can install them.

But I now need to see photos of your samples of the Mission Tile liners and subways. Time's up!

I am enjoying all the information. I love the look of the green subway tile. I have just decided on the cabinets, and have decided on Vintage Lace. I still have to pick the counter, but love the look of these tiles.

Update: the Mission West tiles were not the right shade of green. I also ordered some samples of the retro liners, which look great, except for this one issue: they're displayed in only one color combo online, so it didn't even occur to me to specify a color, and then lo and behold, the samples they sent me were completely different color combos that had nothing to do with my color scheme and thus did not help me at all.

Then when I emailed to ask about that, the woman (Kate) said she had just sent what they had, and if I wanted to see a specific color I would have to pay for it and wait X weeks for it to come in. I asked if she could send me ANYTHING (even a 1"x1" or whatever) in the shade of red used on the liners I thought I had ordered (the samples that I got had no red in them). Y'know, being as how my range is red, and being as how I would want a liner that would go with the Depression-green field tile, I thought it would be a good idea to see what shade of red they use. But then I didn't hear a peep from her.

And speaking for all of us who work in financial-related industries, I hope you appreciate the effort we have gone to in order to provide you with an actual Depression in which you can install them.

Do take a look at Pewabic, who makes some of the most beautiful ceramic tiles I've ever seen. They did a famous Manhattan bathroom entirely in green tiles -- I'll bet Boxerpups knows exactly the one I'm talking about and has a picture at her fingertips -- that haunted me for years.
Lynn